Such a protective device in the form of a covering for a loading compartment of a passenger automotive vehicle is disclosed in DE 199 44 948 C1. Such a loading compartment covering has a cover tarpaulin as a flexible two-dimensional structure which is held on a rotatable winding shaft to be wound up and wound off. The winding shaft is mounted in a cartridge housing which, in the installed condition, is oriented in the transverse direction of the vehicle within the loading compartment and positioned behind a rear seat bench of the vehicle interior. The cover tarpaulin has a dimensionally stable pull-out profile on the end face region that is in front in the pull-out direction, which profile is provided with a respective guiding pin on each of opposite sides thereof, the pins projecting laterally outwards beyond the cover tarpaulin. On opposite side walls of the loading compartment a respective guiding rail is provided and a cam is slidingly guided therein for translational movement. The cams are intended to receive the guiding pins of the pull-out profile and thereby to transfer the cover tarpaulin from a rest position to a protective position and return it back again. The two cams are connected to a drive motor via drive transmission means in the form of push-pull cords, wherein the motor is disposed centrally and drives both the drive transmission means synchronously.